MEMORIAL 



JEAN PIERRE PURRY 



IN BEHALF OF THE COLONIZATION OF 



SOUTH CAROLINA. 



LONDON, 1724. 



MEMORIAL 

presented to His Grace 

My Lord the Duke of Newcastle, 

Chamberlain of his Majesty King George, &c., 

and Secretary of State : 

upon the present condition 

of 

CAROLINA, 

and the Means of its Amelioration : 

BY 

JEAN PIERRE PURRY, 
of Neufchatel, Switzerland. 






PRIVATELY PRINTED. 



AUGUSTA, GEORGIA. 

1880. 



No. /28 

Edition 250 Copies. 

A. 






]. H. Estill, Printer 
Savannah, Georgia. 



\ 




Prefatory Note. 



■^ 



So very rare is the following Tract, that we have 
deemed it worthy of translatioQ. and of reproduction in 
the present form. The Memorial from which this trans- 
lation is made is printed in French. It is the only 
copy we have ever seen. A reference to its existence 
may be found in John Drayton's View of South Carolina, 
(&G., pag-e 214, note, Charleston, 1802. See also Ram- 
say's History of South Carolina, vol. 1., p. 107, note, 
Charleston, 1809. A subsequent paper from the same 
pen, entitled "A Description of the Province of South 
Carolina, drawn up at Charles- Town in September^ 
1731,'-' was translated from the French and published 
in the Gentleman's Magazine for August, September, 
and October, 1732. Mr. Peter Force reprinted it in 
the second volume of his '\Tracts and other Papers 
relating principally to the Origin, Settlement, and Progress 
of the Colonies in North America from the discovery of 
the Country to the year 1776." 

Mr. Carroll has included it among his Historical Col- 
lections of South Carolina. See volume 11, pages 121 
et seq : — 

The present forms one of a series of curious special 
pleas which were industriously circulated and strenu- 
ously urged in aid of the English Colonies in America. 
At this remove, and in the light of subsequent events, 

many 



( 4 ) 

many of the arguments then advanced appear chimeri- 
cal and illusory. We wonder that they were ever 
regarded as substantial. That they exerted an influ- 
ence however, at the time, and tended to direct a cur- 
rent of European population to these Western shores 
may not be questioned. 

Because the student of American history is curious 
in regard to the agencies which united in peopling this 
new country, and because the views and expectations 
of the prime actors, and their suggestions in the pro- 
motion of that important colonization are deemed wor- 
thy of special note, it appears proper to gather up and 
multiply these contributions to the history of the period, 
many of which have already yielded so completely to 
that mortality which quickly overtakes pamphlets and 
fugitive publications that they are now inaccessible to 
the general reader. 

Of the author of this Memorial, and of the Colony 
he subsequently planted on the left bank of the Savan- 
nah river, the Reverend Mr. Hewitt'^ furnishes us with 

* An Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Colo- 
nies of South Carolina and Georgia. Vol. 11, p. 26. London, 

MDCCLXXIX. 

Col. Purry also prepared and circulated in Switzerland the fol- 
lowing Proj:>o.fa/.s : "There are only two methods, viz: One for Per- 
sons to go as Servants, the other to settle on their own Account. 

1. Those who are desirous to go as Servants must be Carpen- 
ters, Vine-Planters, Husbandmen, or good Labourers. 

2. They must be such as are not very poor, but in a Condition 
to carry with them what is sufficient to support their common 

^ ecessity. 



( 5 ) 

the following account : " John Peter Purry, a native 
of Neufchalel in Switzerland, having formed a design 

3. They must have at least 3 or 4 good Shirts and a Suit of 
Clothes, each. 

4. They are to have each for their Wages 100 Livres yearly, 
which make 50 Crowns of the Money of Neufchalel in Sivisserland, 
but their Wages are not to commence till the Day of their arrival 
in Carolina. 

5. Expert Carpenters shall have suitable Encouragement. 

6. The time of their Contract shall be 3 Years, reckoning from 
the Day of their arrival in that Country. 

7. They shall be supply'd in part of their Wages with Money to 
come from Sivisserland, till they imbark for Carolina. 

8. Their Wages shall be paid them regularly at the end of every 
Year : for security whereof they shall have the Fruits of their 
Labour, and generally all that can be procured for them whether 
Moveables or Immoveables. 

9. Victuals and Lodgings from the Day of their Imbarkation 
shall not be put to their Account, nor their Passage by Sea. 

10. They shall have what Money they want advanced during 
the Term of their Service in part of their Wages to buy Linnen, 
Clothes, and all other Necessaries. 

11. If they happen to fall Sick they shall be lodg'd and nour ; 
ished Gratis, but their Wages shall not go on during their Illness 
or while they are not able to Work. 

12. They shall serve after Eecovery the time they shall have 
lost during their Sickness. 

13. What goes to pay Physicians or Surgeons, shall be put to 
their Accompt. 

As to those who go to settle on their own Account, they must 
have at least 50 Crowns each, because their Passage by Sea and 
Victuals will cost from 20 to 25 Crowns, and the rest of the Money 
shall go to procure divers things which will be absolutely necessary 
for the Voyage." 



( 6 ) 

of leaving his native country, paid a visit to Carolina 
in order to inform himself of the circumstances and 
situation of the Province. After viewing the lands 
there, and procuring all the information he could with 
respect to the terms of obtaining them, he returned to 
Britain. The Government entered into a contract 
with him and, for the encouragement of the people, 
agreed to give lands and four hundred pounds sterling 
for every hundred effective men he should transport 
from Switzerhmd to Carolina. Purry, while in Caro- 
lina, having furnished himself with a tlattering account 
of the soil and climate, and of the excellence and 
freedom of the Provincial Government, returned to 
Switzerland and published it among the people. Im- 
mediately one hundred and seventy poor Switzers 
agreed to follow him, and were transported to the fer- 
tile and delightful Province as he described it ; and 
not long afterwards two hundred more came over and 
joined them. The Governor, agreeable to instructions, 
allotted forty thousand acres of land for the use of the 
Swiss settlement on the north-east side of Savanna 
river ; and a town was marked out for their accommo- 
dation which he called I^irisburgh, from the name of 
the principal promoter of the settlement. Mr. Bignion, 
a Swiss minister whom they had engaged to go with 
them, having received Episcopal ordination from the 
Bishop of London, settled among them for their reli- 
gious instruction On the one hand the Governor and 
Council, happy in the acquisition of such a force, al- 
lotted 



( 7 ) 

lotted each of them his separate tract of land and 
gave every encouragement in their power to the peo- 
ple. On the other, the poor Swiss emigrants began 
their labours with uncommon zeal and courage, highly 
elevated with the idea of possessing landed estates, 
and big with the hopes of future success. However, 
in a short time they felt the many inconveniencies at- 
tending a change of climate. Several of them sick- 
ened and died, and others found all the hardships of 
the first state of colonization falling heavily upon 
them. They became discontented with the provisions 
allowed them, and complained to Government of the 
persons employed to distribute them ; and, to double 
their distress, the period for receiving the bounty ex- 
pired before they had made such progress in cultiva- 
tion as to raise sufficient provisions for themselves and 
families. The spirit of murmur crept into the poor 
Swiss settlement, and the people, finding themselves 
oppressed with indigence and distress, could consider 
their situation in no other light than a state of banish- 
ment, and not only blamed Purry for deceiving them, 
but also heartily repented their leaving their native 
country." 

Violent indeed was the change from the mountains 
of Switzerland to the swamps of the lower Savannah : 
and the malarial influences engendered by a hot sun 
smiting the marish grounds upon which they fixed their 
new abodes proved most disastrous to the health and 
comfort of the Colonists. For several years did they 

contend 



( 8 ) 

contend manfully against penury and disease, while 
industriously endeavoring to convert the forests into 
cultivated fields. 

Upon his return from England, in 1736, Oglethorpe 
was waited upon by a deputation from Purrysburg, 
consisting of Hon Hector Beringer de Beaufain, M. 
Tisley Dechillon, — a patrician of Berne, — and several 
other Swiss gentlemen. They came to congratulate 
him upon his successful voyage, and to acquaint him 
with the condition of their settlement. A short time 
afterwards Mr. Oglethorpe repaid their visit, and was 
lodged and handsomely entertained at the house of 
Colonel Purry. 

The poverty of Carolina, the indifference of the 
Home Government, the penury of the Colonists, and 
the evil effects of the climate conspired to retard the 
progress of the settlement, and quickly brought about 
its almost total abandonment. After a comparatively 
short and precarious existence Purrysburg, like New 
Ebenezer and Abercorn on the Georgia side of the 
river, became little more than a name : — scarcely 
aught else than a frail monument of hope deferred and 
disappointment most severe. 

Charles C. Jones, Jr. 

Augusta, Georgia, October 1st, 1880. 



THE MEMORIAL. 



My Lord : 

Altliongli the English, who possess Carolina, are 
fully persuaded that it constitutes one of the richest 
countries in the world, Jean Pierre Purry of Neuf- 
chatel, Switzerland, — formerly Director General in 
the service of the India Company in France, — seri- 
ously doubts whether they have properly investigated 
the true cause of its fertility, and the methods by which 
it may be developed to the greatest possible extent. 

Hence the reason why he takes the liberty of me- 
morializing you, my Lord, in the following concise and 
graphic manner. 

I. The boundless iveaUh which might be obtained 
from Carolina not only on account of the extent of its 
territory, — which is immense, — and the fertility of its 
soil, — which is remarkable, —but also by reason of its 
situation, excellent in many respects. 

II. llie facility with which, without depopulating 
England, — this country could be peopled with good in- 
habitants from various nations, — Switzerland, France, 
Germany, and other countries, — all professing the 
Protestant religion. 

III. Finally, there is perhaps, nothing more imjjor- 

tant 



( 10 ) 

tant to the State, more worthy of public attention, or 

more likely to enhance the general wealth of England, 

than the consummation of an enterprize such as this. 

2 Qr ^21 III proof of this, it is only necessar}^ for us to ob- 

the climates serve, in the first place, that it is quite impossible for 

of the loorld, ^Q to reflect upon the system of our Glolje, and its 

tJiCTC 7)1 list H6' 

gg^^^^jY^g natural productions, — varying with climates and sea- 
one better ?:ons, — without admitting that it is the Sun alone which 
" '^^^ ^^''- animates all things and causes them to fructify; since 
they languish and die or acquire vitality just as this 
heavenly body withdraws itself from or ai)proaches 
the earth. For, as all the countries of the world which 
are not located on the same parallel possess degrees 
of heat differing the one from the other to a greater 
or less extent, and as from the Equator to the Poles 
there is no degree which corresponds exactly with 
another, it necessarily follows that there must be one 
which is the best of all. Behold a fixed principle 
which none can doubt. 
IJ The Now this principle, upon which depends our whole 
very best cli- systcm, being once well established, it will be very 
mate should ^rj^^^^r \^q ascertain which one of these degrees of heat 

necessarili/ be ^ ^ ,■, , , n i • • -i ^ -i i i i 

on or about ^^^^ ^^ ^^^® temperature ot the air is best adapted to 
the 33rc? de- evokc abundantly from the earth, — and that without 
gree of Lati- ^-^^^^.^ labor or expense, — everything essential to life. 
When we consider the fact that the longest days of 
Summer are twelve hours on the Equator, and twenty- 
four hours on the Polar Circles, and take the mean of 
these two extremes, — that is to say counting from the 

first 



( 11 ) 

first degree to the half of 66^ degrees, which is B3i 
degrees, — we will find that the best countries of the 
world ought to be on or about the 33rd degree of Lati- 
tude. This is moreover verified b}^ experience ; and 
all the countries of our Globe, as Barbary, Syria, 
Egypt, Persia, Mogolistan, China, Japan, and, gener- 
ally speaking, all others are rich and productive only 
in proportion to their proximity to this degree, unless, 
indeed, they should here and there be found of sandy, 
marshy, or rocky character, or of no value, where 
fruit-bearing plants cannot come to perfection. We 
must note this carefully. 

In accordance with this principle it follows neces- j^^ rpj^-^ 
sarily that Carolina and New Mexico on the Northern is verified by 
side, and Chili and Rio de la Plata on the Southern, ^*p^'-''^"c«. 
are, regarded as a whole, the best countries m America ^^^^.^^ ^^ ^j^^ 
because they are situated on or about the 33rd degree countries 
of Latitude. This conclusion cannot be questioned. «^*'^^"'("'^^ 

we are best ac- 

Even if we had never heard Spain described, we would quainted. 
never weary in asserting that Andalusia must be the 
best of her provinces because it approaches nearest to 
the 33rd degree. Provence and Languedoc must be 
superior to all the other provinces of France because 
they are the most southern. For the same reason 
Sicily and the Kingdom of Naples ought to be more 
fertile than the rest of Italy. Thus might we distin- 
guish between the other countries of the world, known 
and unknown. In truth, it is only necessary to affirm 
that it is the Sun which causes differences in countries 
and climates. The 



( 12 ) 

IV The '^^^^ undersigned, Jean Pierre Purry, dares to main- 
author was isim witliout presumption that he believes himself to 
the first who j^jj^yg j-^gg^ ^}^g g^gj^ ^Ijq located the best climate at the 

hest climate. ^'^^^ degree of Latitude ; and he will persist in this 
ErrorofGeo- opiuiou uutil he fiuds some one who will convince him 
graphers in ^}^^^ j^^ jg mistaken in his calculations. While waitino^, 

regard to this ^ 

subject. h^ requests persons, learned on such subjects, to name 
to him a single country in that degree (always suppos- 
ing that the soil is neither sandy, nor marshy, nor 
rocky,) which does not constitute one of the most fer- 
tile regions in the world. He also ventures to assert, 
without desiring to give offence to any one, that his- 
torians and geographers have all attributed the change 
to nature and to a diversity of climate. When they 
speak to us of the degrees of heat and cold which 
characterize each country, when compared with others, 
they always base their opinions upon that Mse princi- 
ple, knowing that countries which are situated in the 
centre of the Torrid Zoue are the warmest, and that 
the others differ in heat in proportion as they are 
nearer to or farther removed from this centre. 
V. And of '^^^^ same error is observable when we note the 
</ie i^re«cA trt conduct of Europeans in the explorations which they 
particular in jiayg conducted up to the present time in remote coun- 
Ihei)'^ settle- ^^'^^^' ^ssuredl}^ they did not know where the best 
mert^ft Can- climate was to be found. The French, for example, 
ada. -^]jQ pride themselves [for what substantial reason I 

am at a loss to say] upon having outstripped all other 
peoples in the knowledge of Cosmography, have been 

established 



( 13 ) 

established for more than a century in the more north- 
ern regions of Canada. They resemble a man who, 
having a selection of many good viands on a table 
amply furnished and spread before his eyes, should 
decide, in the exercise of a ridiculous and ill-advised 
prudence, to choose that which was least attractive. 
For it is certain that Canada now is, and, because of 
its situation, always will remain one of the poorest 
countries in America. The English have beeu estab- 
lished in Carolina only since about the year 1G64 ; and 
when before that time they had advanced their set- 
tlements as far as Virginia, they found indeed that 
the country was good, but it does not appear that they 
then realized, as perchance they do not now compre- 
hend, the reason why. The Dutch, in like manner, 
did not establish themselves at the Cape of Good Hope 
until they had voj^aged for fifty or sixty years in the 
East Indies. 

But what is most remarkable in this connection is 

VI. Th e 

that the Cape of Good Hope, with the exception of the utility of the 
Terre Natal, — which is still occupied only by sav- CapeofGood 
ages, — was the sole place where one could form a de- ^^f f attnh- 

,^ _ , utable to the 

sirable settlement tor the Great indies : — one which ^^^^ prind- 
would serve not only as a store-house and granary, i>^&- 
but also as an excellent mtre'pot and place for refitting 
ships. Notwithstanding all these advantages neither 
the Spanish, nor the Portugese, nor the English, nor 
any other peoples desired to form a settlement there 
until more than one hundred and fifty years had 

elapsed 



( 14 ) 

elapsed after the discovery of such an attractive coun- 
try. To-day however, the Dutch, well recognizing the 
utility, not to say the absolute necessity of this settle- 
ment, declare they do not know how they can, from 
this time forward, dispense with it. 
VII. The la all good faith it should be admitted that such mis- 
error am- ^j^j^^g ^gj-c causcd Cither by a want of knowledsje of 

pier commit- _ "^ _ ^_ 

ted in ignor- the naturc of climatcs, or by false ideas entertained 
ing fhisprin- on this subject. So true is this, that when they chanced 
"•^^* upon a good country one would be justified in assert- 

ing that thc}^ did so blindly, since they followed routes 
directly contrary to their plans. 

This is very evident from the testimony of Dampier 
himself, — one of the most famous voyagers of his day. 
We will see what he thought of the Terres Audrales 
and La Nouvelle Ilollandc : "For," says he (a), " if I 
had been asked why, the first time I came on this side, 
I did not traverse it towards the South, and why 1 did 
not endeavor to extend my voyage to the East of La 
Nouvelle Hollande and of La Nouvelle Guime, I would 
have answered that I was unwilling to lose more time 
than was absolutely necessary in the higher latitudes, 
being fully persuaded that the countries on that side 
were not so worthy of exploration as the regions near- 
est to the Equator and more directly under the influ- 
ence of the Sun." Now nothing can be more false 
than such a statement. Because, of all La Nouvelle 
Hollande no section can be better than that which lies 



(a) Dampier. Voyage to Terres Auatral, volume v., p. 3. 



( 15 ) 

on the Southern side and which is called Terre de 
JVuits: — the residue being always poorer as it ap- 
preaches the line ; or, to make use of proper terms, as 
it stretches out under the more direct influence of the 
Sun. Let us apply this principle to Carolina, and the 
adjacent countries from the Northern Sea even to the ^^^-^^^^^^ ^y 
Southern. It certainly embraces, and without excep- this principle 
tion, the best parts of North America, extending on '^ Camlma 

^ . etna its sur- 

this same parallel of the 33rd degree of Latitude not ^oMncZm^rs. 
less tlian from five to six hundred leagues. This de- 
gree is the par excellence of heat and of temperature, 
causing a fertility of soil, and contributing to the hap- 
piness of all who there inhabit, no matter from what 
quarter of the world they may have come. All other 
regioni^ are less desirable in proportion to their re- 
moteness from this degree. 

In proceeding it is proper to remark that Carolina, j^ ^^^_ 
situated in the degree named, has very few momi- /irmed hy ex- 
tains,— ih^t it is a land of plains,— of hills,— and of ^««««<^e, and 
gentle declivities, that the soil is for the most part very ZJ^UeUnd 
rich, requiring only good cultivation at the hands of ;« every re- 
man, that it abounds in game, deer, and wild bulls, ^p^'^^- 
that it is watered by numerous beautiful rivers teem- 
ing everywhere with excellent fishes, and that within 
its limits, — which are narrowest from east to west, — it 
includes all that vast extent of country which once 
bore the name of Florida, for some time however, 
called by the French Louisiana, and which the Eng- 
lish could more appropriately name Georgia or Geor- 

gine 



( 16 ) 

gine in conformity to the two charters granted to the 

Concessionaries in 1664 and 1666 during the reign of 

Charles 11. The propriety of this latter appellation 

could be easily demonstrated. 

X If the It is true that the French have possession of the 

French, who mouth of the Mississippi river ; but, with the excep- 

''^^outh^of the^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ adjacent to the mouth of this river 

Mississippi, and for a distance of some sixty or eighty leagues into 

should pre- ^l^Q country, the region is very poor. If they should 

'VSTit OUT tlSC 

of that river pu^posc to prevent the English from descending the 
river and entering the Gulf of Mexico by that route, 
they, in turn, by virtue of the right of original occu- 
pancy, having securely established themselves on that 
same river in the vicinity of the 33rd degree of Lati- 
tude, would not permit the French to ascend higher. 
It would not be less ridiculous in the French to im- 
agine [and a more chimerical pretention I cannot 
divine], that all the country belonged to them, than it 
would be in the Dutch to idly claim all lands situated 
along the Rhine or the Meuse, upon the pretext that 
they were the owners of the territory surrounding the 
mouths of those rivers. 
XI. What But let us consider the case under the worst possi- 
couldhedone\i\Q circumstanccs. Let us suppose for a moment that 
m sue an ^j^^ French should be strong enough to prevent the 
English from descending the river. In that event they 
could then transport their silks, furs, indigo, and, gen- 
erally speaking, all their most valuable products, upon 
mules and horses and in conveyances to their licensed 

ports, 



event. 



( 17 ) 

ports, as is the commoa practice in Persia, in Arabia, 
and in different countries in the East : whereas, if the 
French possess only the lower part of the country, 
which is worth nothing, and are not able to ascend the 
river and carry on their commerce with the Spaniards 
of New Mexico and with the natives, the mouth of 
this river would no longer prove of any utility to them 
unless indeed, to furnish a spot wherein to bury im- 
mense sums as surely as if they had thrown them into 
the sea. Such truly has been the case, either through 
ignorance or otherwise, for nearly twenty-five years ; 
— in fact, ever since they have been occupying that 
locality. 

However, to obviate all difficulties and relieve the XII. It is 
English of all apprehensions they can have on this score, ^^^^^^'"'^ ^^ 
it is manifestly their duty to people the country, and cowitrv with 
advance, year by year and little by little, towards the good hotest- 
river in order not only to defend themselves, but also, ^'^^^' 
if circumstances rendered it necessary, to attack their 
enemies. This action becomes all the more important 
because the wealth and fertility of a country can be 
developed only by the cultivation of the soil and by 
the great increase of its population, and because they 
possess the means of colonizing it far superior to the 
French by reason of their greater number of vessels, 
and the proximity to Carolina which exempts them 
from passing through the dangerous strait of Bahama, 
and facilitates their return to Europe. Add to all this 
the ease with which they may, without depopulating 
England, secure colonies of good Protestants who will 

prove 



( 18 ) 

prove neither vagabonds nor idlers, [as is the case with 

the most of those whom the French send to their falsely 

claimed Louisiana] but rather es:cellent laborers, the 

sons of peasants, the majority of them married, each 

possessing a suitable calling, and specially skilled in 

the cultivation of the soil. Hence we conclude that 

the country being well peopled, as it would be in a very 

short time, one would find himself entirely safe, and 

free from all apprehension on the score above alluded to. 

Xlll The Never perhaps, have circumstances been more favor- 

eircumstan- 2^\y\Q Wi^^n at the present time for enlisting excellent 

favomhlefur colouists in Switzerland. How many families are to- 

such a pro- day, in that country, in debt through the misfortunes 

ject, especial- ^^ ^^^^ times and the stao-nation of trade ! How many 

ly in the case 

of Switzer-y^^^^S men are there who do not know what to do, or 
land. upon what matter to bestow their attention, and who 

have no means of support save the profession of arms ! 
How many are there who refrain from marriage for 
fear of bringing more unhappy souls into the world, of 
whom there are already too many ! This arises from 
the fact that the population of Switzerland is too dense, 
considering the sterility of its soil : —that peace has 
obtained in Europe for the past twelve or thirteen 
years : — that there is no longer any demand for cattle, 
and the peasant can no more find a market for his horses. 
It is not well that Switzerland should be as thickly 
populated as it is. Nearly eighteen hundred years 
agone, the inhabitants of this nation, en masse, formed 
the'resolution to burn their dwellings and go in search 
of another country where they hoped to find habita- 
tions 



( 19 ) 

tions pleasanter and more spacious than those which 
they possessed among their barren mountains. 

Moreover, of late 5^ears, a pestilence having ravaged 
some countries in the North, and a report having been 
circulated in Switzerland that lands would be given to 
all who would go thither, although the soil was poor, 
people flocked there from all quarters. But these 
deluded persons, when they arrived in those parts, 
finding nothing equal to what they had been led to 
expect, and knowing not in what direction to look for 
assistance, were constrained to return in confusion to 
their own homes. 

It happens every day [very much after the fashion ^^^^^ ^^^ 
of bees when they find themselves overcrowded \\\ Protestant 
their hives] that many young people leave Protestant >^^«<^«- 
Switzerland who have, so to speak, no resource other 
than to go into service in France, Spain, Italy, Savoy, 
and other Roman Catholic communities in their neigh- 
borhood, where most of them change their religion in 
order to maintain themselves and ameliorate their con- 
dition. Thus we see the poor Calvinists of the Pala- 
tinate betaking themselves into Hungary,— although 
there at the mercy of the Turks or of the Jesuits, — 
not knowing where else to go. Likewise many Prot- 
estants remain in France, enduring tyranny and per- 
secution, influenced much less by a just horror of the 
idolatry which they there behold and frequently have 
the misfortune to commit, than by the helping hand 
which, in drawing them into such a dangerous snare, at 
the same time offers a sure and honest retreat where 

thev 



( 20 ) 

they may, by cultivatinji' their own lands, guard them- 
selves against poverty, and dispense with the charity of 
their brethren. So much may be said without in any 
manner excusing them. 
XV. What In order to attract them hither, it would only be 
mighthedone neccssary to distribute circulars in all directions assu- 
, ^^^,^ ring them oi a truth that there is no region in i* ranee, 
in Spain, in Italy, or in fine, in the whole of Europe, 
which equals Carolina in attractiveness: that just as 
much land as they can possibly cultivate will be given 
to such as desire to establish themselves here : — especi- 
ally to those who are suffering persecution because of 
their religion ; — that all will be furnished with free 
passage across the sea in the King's ships ; and, finally, 
that His Britannic Majesty will extend to them all the 
charitable aid which they could hope from his royal 
bounty in order that they may enjoy happy lives and 
form prosperous settlements in this country. 
XVI. It is It is proper to observe that by virtue of a natural 
Mghlyproha- inclination characteristic of all reasonable beings, — 
blethatadis- j^r^j^gKr w^q Iqyq of liberty, — most of the Swiss soldiers, 

tCiStC JOT WCLT 

and the hap- whcu their terms of enlistment shall have expired, will 

piness of a resign and joyfully embrace this opportunity to place 

married life themselvcs at casc : and for two important reasons : 

mine many fii'st, which is negative, in order that the}^ may, in good 

oldiers to time, liberate themselves from the evil pursuit of war, — 

come here. ^ calling illy suited to the tastes of all who desire to 

lead the lives of honest Christians ; — and, for a second 

reason, which I call positive, that they may secure for 

themselves the sweet and virtuous companionship born 

of 



( 21 ) 

of marriage. For it is certain that there are scarcely 
any Swiss soldiers who would not marry if their Cap- 
tains would grant them the liberty of doing so ; and 
there is no man in the world, however stupid he may 
be, who does not long, at least during his old age, for 
a home which will shelter him from the horrors of 
poverty and misery. 

The public being once fully persuaded of the fertility XVll. The 
of Carolina, what joy will fill the hearts of the poor, Jf^^^"*^*''/ 

' >) '' X ' the passage. 

and with what eagerness will they hasten thither when 
they are well assured that they will go to end their 
days in one of the most delightful countries in the uni- 
verse ! We may safely assert that many French refu- 
gees, and many from Switzerland, from Wirtemberg, 
from the Palatinate, from Holland, from Saxony, and 
from other Protestant countries, — more indeed than 
the King's ships could carry, — would present them- 
selves, all of whom would prove faithful subjects of 
G-reat Britain, and cost absolutely nothing except the 
expense of transportation. But this expense is so 
insignificant a charge upon the General Grovernment, 
that it need not be considered when compared with the 
fruits, oils, wax, cotton, tobacco, indigo, cocoa, leather, 
furs, wood for building and other purposes, resin, tar, 
hemp, wool, silk, brand}^, and excellent wines, wheat, 
rice, and other products, — useful as medicines and dye- 
stuffs, — which will surely be realized, and which will 
demand nothing in exchange save the merchandize 
proceeding from the manufactories of Great Britain. 

In truth there is matter for surprize at the indififer- XVIII The 

ence, 



( 22 ) 

zeal^ and the ence, not to sa}^ contempt, which is evinced, even among 
^McT^ t th ^"^^^ most enlightened nations of Europe, towards indi- 
Emj)ress o/viduals who are informed above their fellows, and who 
Russia, upon QQxi\(\^ bj their superior knowledge, fortified hy large 
should"^ ^'^ experience, contribute to the re-establishment of the 
//le ^^esq/ ^/ie shattered fortunes at least of certain States : while, on 
most etdight- ^j^g other hand, we see a people, barbarous and fierce, 

ened nations. ^ . ., • p ,^ i ir> /» xi 

whose territory is for more than halt or the year cov- 
ered with snow, interested in agriculture, commerce, 
and navigation, cherishing the arts and sciences, and 
searching with all imaginable eagerness for such as can 
prove serviceable to them in these departments. Wit- 
ness the recent Declaration of the Czar, published only 
a few days since, in Axvor of strangers who might desire 
to establish themselves at Petersburg or in other com- 
mercial cities of his dominion, and in which her Majesty, 
the Empress of Russia, promises to defray the expenses 
of their journey, to have houses built for them, to 
exempt them from taxes for a period of twenty years, 
to furnish them with the means requisite for carrying 
on their trades, to extend free religious toleration and 
to pa}' one hundred rubles per annum to the pastor of 
each colony in case it is unable of its own means to 
support him. 
XIX. And In view of this, can it be possible that England will 
par^tci^ar 1/ j^^l^ with an indifferent eye upon the new forces which 

in hngiand. '' ^ 

the French are to-day collecting in order that they may 
go and take possession of the best portion of the fertile 
country of Carolina, — I mean that which lies between 
the Mississippi river and the original concession ? [For 

it 



( 23 ) 

it is quite true that they have actually equipped four 
half-galleys to transport by that river as many colonists 
as they can secure ] Can it be possible that the Eng- 
lish, on their part, are willing to do nothing, to under- 
take nothing, and that they will not bestir themselves 
in an effort to prevent this, especially during a period 
of peace when the roads are open on every hand by 
which peoples may be assembled, and when the King's 
vessels are unemployed? England should at least 
make Carolina the store-house and granary for the 
islands of Jamaica, Barbadoes, and Saint Christopher, 
— which produce neither bread nor wine, — and remem- 
ber that she can, without wronging any one, reduce it 
now into possession and make of it a country which, 
when populated and cultivated properly, may be ranked 
with the most extensive and richest domains in the 
Universe. 

But here is the principal article upon which I beg xx. Above 
you, my Lord, to bestow y«ur particular attention: it all,mregard 
is SILK. There is no article of merchandize which fur- '^'.^/ ''^^,j 

. , which would 

nishes support for so many people, in which so much be obtained 
money is invested, or which commands more general ^^,^^ ^'^^°- 
consumption throughout the world. Provence and ^*"'*' 
Lanquedoc produce some little of an excellent quality, 
but they are not situated in a degree of heat to yield 
a great deal, and of the most desirable sort. Italy, 
Spain, and Sicily succeed much better for the reason I 
have indicated. But Carolina will undoubtedly far 
surpass all the countries I have just named, because it 
is located precisely in the degree of heat and tempera- 
ture 



( 24 ) 

ture wliicli best befits the nature of the silk-worm, so 
that in about thirty years, more or less, if it is desired 
to put into general use certain sure and infallible meth- 
ods for the cultivation of this article, — which the writer 
offers to indicate at any time and place, — G-reat Britain 
will, in that event, be able to produce on her own lands 
a quantity of silk sufficient to supply the needs not only 
of her own subjects, but also, if she found it necessary, 
of the rest of Europe. This is the reason why the wri- 
ter is persuaded that there is perhaps nothing in the 
world more advantageous to the State, nothing having 
a greater tendency to enhance the wealth of Great 
Britain in general and of the English in particular, than 
the consummation of such a project. Consequently it 
is most worthy of attention. 

Should the fine opportunity, presented to-day, unfor- 
tunately be allowed to escape, we are very apprehen- 
sive that it will never occur again. 

I am, with very profound respect, 
My Lord, 

by your permission, 
Your very humble, 

and very obedient servant, 

Jean Pierre Purry. 
At London, the 18th 
of July, 1724.— 



Printed at Londou by G. Bowyer, and to be fouud at 
Paul Vaillant's in the Strand. 

MDCCXXIV. 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 



014 495 323 ft 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



lii'iiiiiiiiijililiiiiiijijijlllijllljlll 

014 495 323 A 



